Archers on Target

MANILA, PHILIPPINES–This young La Salle team predicted to struggle early just turned into a serious threat.

The Green Archers rallied from nine points down in the last three minutes to shock defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles, 66-63, in the first battle between the country’s fiercest rivals Saturday in the 73rd UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

Sophomore Sam Marata came up with the game’s biggest baskets by knocking in back-to-back triples that helped wipe out a 53-62 deficit and push the Archers ahead, 65-62, at the 1:26 mark.

Jarelan Tampus also proved steady in the homestretch as the rookie guard nailed four straight points that triggered a decisive 13-1 run in the last 3:35 minutes of the game.

“I don’t know what to say, I’m so proud of the boys,” said coach Dindo Pumaren after the Archers conquered the Eagles for the first time in three years. “I just told them not to give up and play defense.”

Joshua Webb and Marata finished with 12 points apiece to lead the Archers to solo second at 3-1 in front of another roaring, sell-out crowd of 16,566.

“We did not finish strong and it did not help also that Kirk Long fouled out,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “They (Archers) were scrappy. They made the shots down the stretch.”

The Eagles nailed all of their first eight shots in the fourth quarter to zoom to a 62-53 lead, before missing their last seven attempts in the final three minutes.

“It wasn’t so much the offense that let us down, but the defense,” noted Black. “Not following screens, giving up wide open three-point shots.”

The Eagles, seeking for a third straight title this season, fell to 2-2 along with National University as the Bulldogs earlier withstood the University of the East Warriors’ late run on the way to a 70-63 victory in the first game.

Simon Atkins, who chipped in nine points, nailed a free throw with 17.6 seconds left to cushion the Archers’ lead to three, 66-63.

The Eagles tried to forge overtime, but Justin Chua missed two attempts from beyond the arc in the dwindling seconds.

The last time La Salle won against Ateneo was during the step-ladder Final Four, 65-60, during the Green Archers’ 2007 title run.

“I just felt that I can make the shot, this team has a big heart,” said Marata, a nephew of the late PBA cager Ricric Marata.

A pair of Chua baskets sandwiched back-to-back treys from  Emman Monfort and Long in a 10-2 run that gave the Eagles a 52-48 advantage.

Four more unanswered points by Chua, who shot a game-high 16 points, stretched the gap to 56-48 with five minutes remaining.

The vuvuzelas, the plastic horn made popular in the recent World Cup in Africa, also made its way in the blockbuster Ateneo-La Salle battle.

But it’s still the passionate school cheers and drumbeats that drowned out the vuvuzela’s deafening drone.

The scores:
LA SALLE 66–Webb 12, Marata 12, Atkins 9, Tampus 6, Andrada 6, Dela Paz 5, Tolentino 5, Mendoza 5, Vosotros 3, Villanueva 2, Ferdinand 1, Paredes 0.
ATENEO 63–Chua 16, Monfort 11, Long 9, Buenafe 7, Salamat 6, Salva 5, Golla 3, Escueta 2, Dela Cruz 2, Austria 2, Tiongson 0, Gonzaga 0.
Quarters: 14-15, 26-30, 46-42, 66-63